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Scientists Turn Normal Red Bricks into Electricity-Storing Supercapacitors

• peter_d_sherman 6y ago
  >"“We discovered that if you actually treat rust chemically, it actually becomes reactive,” D’Arcy explained. “So something that we typically think of as waste turns out to be a useful chemical for producing materials that can be used for storing energy.” The pigment in red bricks is partially derived from rust, which inspired the researchers to take a closer look at the structural properties of bricks to see if they could be converted to an energy-storing device called a supercapacitor. The intricate porous interiors of bricks turned out to be an ideal space to introduce sophisticated polymer coatings, which react with rust to increase the surface area and conductivity of bricks. As a result of the modifications, the team was able to engineer a prototype smart brick that stored enough energy to power the green light. The team is currently building on its findings by manufacturing specialized bricks with various metal oxides and polymer coatings." My thoughts: Character A: "It's a brick!" Character B: "No, it's a supercapacitor!" Character A: "Brick!" Character B: "Supercapacitor!" Character C: "Hey, you're both right!"